Shotgun metagenome sequencing of fecal samples from healthy US adults

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a significant source of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with expectations that AMR-associated consequences will continue to worsen throughout the coming decades. Since resistance to antibiotics is encoded in the microbiome, interventions aimed at altering the taxonomic composition of the gut might allow us to prophylactically engineer microbiomes that harbor less AMR. Diet is one method of intervention, yet little is known about the association between diet and antimicrobial resistance. We sequenced the microbial DNA in 290 individuals' guts and examined the relationship between genes that confer antimicrobial resistance with the individuals' diets.